Bad start, bad end for Bruins in Game 3

Tuesday

Apr 18, 2017 at 1:40 AMApr 18, 2017 at 1:46 AM

Mike Loftus The Patriot Ledger

BOSTON – It’s a shame it came down to that.

Kind of unlikely, too.

First of all, the Bruins really couldn’t have expected to get to overtime in Game 3 of their best-of-seven playoff series with the Senators on Monday night – not after falling behind 3-0 in the first 23 minutes, 42 seconds.

And when a second-period rally ultimately did extend the game past regulation, few could have predicted that one of the best-behaved Bruins would be sitting in the penalty box, watching the player who goaded him into a retaliation infraction score the winning goal on a power play.

It all happened, though, and because of it, the B’s are in a 2-1 hole entering Game 4 on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Teammates rushed either to defend Riley Nash, whose jab to the face of Bobby Ryan left the Bruins shorthanded 4:38 into overtime, or to condemn officials for making a call that gave the Senators a power play, when so many other potential infractions had either been ignored, or resulted in coincidental minor penalties.

Nash just pleaded guilty.

“I think it was pretty selfish of me,” said Nash, the center who logged only 14 penalty minutes in 81 regular-season games (and was a key member of the Bruins’ NHL-best penalty-killing group) after Ryan scored the winner at 5:43 of OT. “You can’t make that play, can’t put the refs in that position, regardless of what happened before that.”

Nash’s teammates alternated between defending him, condemning the fact that Ryan, who had delivered a forearm to Nash’s face, and then embellished the impact of the jab Nash threw in response, wasn’t also penalized – and kicking themselves for letting another bad period result in a second straight overtime loss.

“It was definitely a terrible start on our part,” Patrice Bergeron said, “and that can’t happen this time of year. They took advantage of us not getting the first period we wanted, and we were playing catch-up hockey.”

The Bruins played it pretty well, too, catching up on second-period goals from Noel Acciari (6:05), David Backes (6:47) and David Pastrnak (13:51; on a power play.)

Playing catch-up, however, isn’t really what any team wants to do, and is among the last things the Bruins need in this playoff series. While the state of their defense corps didn’t deteriorate on Monday, after losing one blue-liner in each of the previous four games, they’re still wearing out the likes of captain Zdeno Chara (29 minutes, 7 seconds of ice time on Monday), Kevan Miller (25:38) and impressive rookie Charlie McAvoy (24:44), who hasn’t been handed penalty-killing responsibility yet.

The depleted state of the defense was fully evident on the Senators’ winning goal: Veterans Chara and Kevan Miller only made it through the first minute of Nash’s penalty before come off for a rest after clearing the puck from the defensive zone, and they were replaced by Tommy Cross, who was recalled from AHL Providence on an emergency basis earlier in the day, and Joe Morrow, who was a healthy scratch 60 times during the regular season, and then made his NHL playoff debut in Game 2.

Monday’s loss came on the heels of Saturday’s overtime defeat at Ottawa, where the Bruins took a 3-1 lead into the third period with a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the series. So there’s a lot to address and correct before Game 3 at the Garden on Wednesday, if they don’t want to face elimination on the road on Friday night.

“We’ve got to take this, digest it, and then move on, because it’s in the books,” said Backes, who drew a slashing penalty against Sens defenseman Dion Phaneuf that led to Pastrnak’s first career playoff goal (and McAvoy’s first NHL point, period). “Come out flying in that one, take control of the game for a full 60 minutes, would be a sight that would be pleasantly received.”